WILD NEWS The 2023 City Nature Challenge Results are in!

Birmingham and the Black Country was one of 482 city areas worldwide that took part in the 2023 City Nature Challenge, including 22 from the UK. This year the challenge was bigger than ever with almost 2 million observations made, of over 57,000 different species between 28th April and 1st May. Alongside other organisations and groups, we organised a range of wildlife-spotting events including a reptile survey in Pelsall, a bird walk in Walsall, an urban nature walk in Birmingham City Centre, a bat walk at Woodgate Valley, a moth survey at Sutton Park, a photo walk at Moseley Bog, a wildlife walk at Lodge Hill Cemetery and many more!

In total, Birmingham and the Black Country made an amazing 11,826 wildlife observations (more than any other UK city and the 7th highest total in Europe) and recorded 1,355 different species (higher than our total last year, and 2nd highest UK total behind Brighton & Eastern Downs).

Plants

• No. species recorded: 673

• Most recorded: common dandelion

• Interesting records: woodland species such as wood anemone, bluebell and dog’s mercury plus early meadow species spotted such as cowslip, yellow rattle and green-winged orchid.

Insects

• No. species recorded: 329 (including 10 species of butterfly, 26 species of bee and 33 species of hoverfly)

• Most recorded: 7-spot ladybird

• Interesting records: Emperor Moth, spotted at Sutton Park and a very apt sighting of a common mourning bee –spotted in the Graveyard of Smethwick Old Church.

Birds

• No. species recorded: 100

• Most recorded: mallard

• Interesting record: whimbrel (a wader more normally associated with the coast, spotted at Edgbaston Reservoir)

Mammals

• No. species recorded: 15

• Most recorded: grey squirrel

• Interesting records: three species of bat, red deer and water vole

Other highlights included records of three species of reptile – common lizard, slowworm and the non-native red-eared terrapin, as well as a semifree morrel mushroom spotted at our HQ at Centre of the Earth!

We are delighted with the outcome and want to express our thanks to everyone who took part, by documenting wildlife, helping to identify records and organising events to celebrate the wildlife of Birmingham and the Black Country!

You can see everything that we recorded here: uk.inaturalist.org/projects/city-nature-challenge-2023birmingham-black-country?tab=observations